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07/20/2016

AAHomecare Commissions Cost Study to Arm HME Industry with Data

On the heels of the highly disappointing news that Congress did not successfully pass the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act, AAHomecare is pursuing all avenues to make a stronger case for delay in September—our next opportunity for Congress to act. It is paramount that the industry be armed with strong data to prove that the reimbursement rates derived from Medicare’s bidding program are too low to cover the actual costs associated with providing equipment. This data is even more critical in rural areas where there are higher delivery and associated service and repair costs.

AAHomecare has commissioned Dobson DaVanzo & Associates to conduct a full study focusing on selected products from oxygen, sleep, manual wheelchairs, hospital beds, and walkers. This study will determine suppliers’ fixed and variable costs for furnishing the services associated with supplying durable medical equipment. This is the first study to consider DME in multiple categories under threat by competitive bidding pricing; all organizational data will be kept confidential and reporting will be in the aggregate only.

We urge you to take part in this survey and help build the critical data needed to show that CB rates are truly unsustainable. We know your time is limited, but the effort you put into completing this survey is vital to our industry's legislative pursuit in September. You will need 3-4 hours to complete the HME Industry Cost Analysis Study.

Should you have questions about the nature of this survey or confidentiality of the data, please contact Steven; you can also reach out to Laura Williard, AAHomecare’s Senior Director of Payer Relations at Lauraw@aahomecare.org or at 336-451-1934.